Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series on how Shallmar was saved from starvation in December 1949.

The town of Shallmar, along the Upper Potomac River in Garrett County, was dying. The coal miners hadn’t worked regularly for years and the Wolf Den Coal Co. mine, the town’s only industry, had shut down at the end of March 1949. By December, the town’s 230 residents were starving until school principal J. Paul Andrick called the world’s attention to the town’s plight.

On Dec. 12, two trucks rolled into Shallmar and were unloaded at the school. Then Andrick and Albert Males, chairman of the United Mine Workers local relief committee, supervised the distribution of milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables and clothing to grateful residents.

“Christmas has come early to this destitute coal mine town. There were hot lunches today for the 50 pupils at the elementary school,” the Frederick News reported.

Shipments continued to come in. The closest communities — Cumberland, Frostburg, Midland, Westernport and Piedmont — sent help first. In Cumberland, the Lions and Optimist clubs set up a collection station and planned to send a daily truck to Shallmar. High school students in Cumberland held their own collection drives to raise money and collect donations.

After that first shipment, “Andrick estimated there is enough on hand so the gaunt coal miners and their families will have square meals for two or three weeks,” according to the Frederick News.

To feed the 50 school children through June would require about $1,500 just for the food, which Andrick was hopeful could be raised to continue the hot lunch program.

The trucks continued to roll into town coming from farther and farther away. In Baltimore, the American Legion made a call for donations and met with a strong response.

State Adjutant Daniel H. Burkhart said, “If I couldn’t see it with my own eyes I wouldn’t believe such a response was possible in three days.”

Among the donations of food, clothing and cash, people also contributed fur coats and a baby carriage.

A grateful town received it all. “Stubble-faced miners, laughing women and kids with runny noses pawed over heaps of donated clothing today, picking out what fitted and hurried home to try it on. Many of the youngsters, however, couldn’t wait. They just piled sweaters and coats over their summer-weight clothing on the spot,” reported the Hagerstown Morning Herald on Dec. 14.

Also, when each family left the school, it left with a box full of food.

A picture of 2-year-old Jean Ann Crosco, upset because she couldn’t find shoes that fit her in the distribution pile, ran around the world. Within a month, Jean Ann had 100 pairs of shoes and cash donations made specifically to her.

“The flood of toys, candy, clothing, and money put new life into our town. I know the children are living in a different world since Santa made an unexpected appearance,” Andrick said.

A month later, packages were still coming into the small town. Andrick and four other people in town had formed a committee to manage the distribution of the donations and answer all the mail. A total of $5,731 had been raised. Even more promising was that nine of the 50 miners in town had managed to find work elsewhere.

Shallmar’s struggle had also given others aid. The Cumberland Evening Times reported, “Shallmar’s plight also focused attention on a bad unemployment situation in the Cumberland area. Thousands of unemployed in Baltimore had also run through their jobless benefits.

“So the Maryland legislatures met in a special one-day session in December and appropriated $300,000 to help out such people ‘unemployed employables,’” reported the newspaper.

It had turned out to be a Merry Christmas after all.